Review by Wheelbase Magazine - Tried & True June 2017

Posted by Tracey Miller

Riptide APS & Krank Bushings

Bushings are an essential part to any setup, and when properly dialed in to a rider’s style and preference can make a once “Dead” setup both precise and responsive. Riptide knows this all too well, and continues to perfect bushing and other products to fit every skater’s needs. We have rolled on some form of Riptide for quite a while, and have found their bushing to be some our favorites for a dialed in setup; be it downhill, street, you name it and riptide has improved upon it!

Riptide Bushings come in three formulas; APS, WFB, and Krank. We’ve tested a wide variety of these formulas thanks to the crew at Riptide, and have found them to offer a wide range of feel and responsiveness to a downhill truck specifically. Through their APS formula, Animated Polymer System, there is a very lively and high-rebound feel that provides an estimated 10 to 15% greater turn than other bushings in the same durometer. On the other hand, the Krank compound that we have tested is designed to change under pressure and has a greater response to the tightening of the kingpin to adjust turning-ability. Differing from riptide’s other two formulas, Krank will actually turn the same or slightly less than other bushings of the same durometer. Riptide also recommends that for the greatest control and performance, the bushings are sandwiched between cupped or precision washers.

The formula is a large portion of riptide’s knowledge and ability to adjust to rider preference, but the unique shapes riptide produces also is largely at play. Cone bushings offer the lowest resistance, which allow a truck to reach full turn; better for “carving” and sharp turning such as cruising or freeride pursuits. Barrels on the other hand offer a greater step in stability and are used for a broad range of skating applications. Unique to riptide however are the addition of FatCones and Chubbys, and more recently tall barrels for certain reverse trucks. The idea behind the FatCone is that their wide face offers the initial stability of a barrel, but as more pressure/weight is applied through a turn they offer a progressively higher resistance and lean. Chubby’s on the other hand are considered to offer the highest stability of all listed shapes, and work best with a stepped bushing seat that utilizes a secondary step in the bushing while turning, we have found these to be exceptional for high-speed applications, where precise turning is crucial.

We could go on and on about the slight, yet major differences through riptide’s bushing lineup, but will simply put it at this; Riptide offers near every bushing duro, shape, and formula to accommodate a large variety of skaters and setups, and with their lineup can step up any truck to outperform its stock-self.

Riptide has been around for over seven years, and based out of Santa Barbara, Ca has specifically engineered a wide range of hardware and bushings to meet skaters needs and provide full customization to dial in a truck or board. Check out more from them here!

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Thanks again for tuning in to our June, 2017 edition of Tried & True! Be sure to check back next month for another collection and fresh skate related products!